Something a lot of you may not know about me is that I’m South Asian. Diwali, the festival of lights, felt like the right time to share a little more of that side of me with you, and of course I wanted to do it with food.
My mom was an amazing cook and taught me pretty much everything I know about home cooking, and of course, much of what we ate growing up was Indian. She definitely instilled my love of cooking and my early skills, and this recipe fuses my Indian roots with my American upbringing.
So, recipe is a fusion of two classic comfort foods. You get all the warm, cozy flavor of butter chicken baked into a bubbly, cheesy pasta, and it’s easy enough to make on any weeknight of the year. It is so, so good. I’ve been making it for well over a decade for my family and it’s become a much-requested favorite.
Why This Works
Butter chicken and baked ziti are both built around a rich sauce, so they come together naturally. The chicken breast and mozzarella bring the protein. Chickpea pasta and peas add fiber without changing the dish you’re craving, and peas show up in plenty of Indian cooking, so they feel right at home here. A little heavy cream gives the sauce that silky, restaurant-style texture.